The Wild and Nat Show
by Michael Silversword
Summary: Natural Smurf has been missing a brother for many years now, so he and Gutsy Smurf search. When they are captured by Gargamel, they are rescued by a wild Smurf.


Another world away in a forest far, far from here, there lives a population of small blue long-lived creatures called the Smurfs. The Smurfs stand about three apples tall, or around five to six inches tall in human measurements. The Smurfs live in a small mushroom-house village deep in the woods, and it's said that the only way to find the village is to be led there by a Smurf.

Each Smurf has a special dominant trait or skill that they are named for, with a few exceptions. For example, Hefty Smurf is one of the strongest and toughest. Vanity Smurf thinks very highly of himself, and carries a small mirror everywhere to admire himself whenever he wants. Greedy Smurf loves food very much, and handles most of the village's cooking and baking.

This story, however, is about two brothers, Natural Smurf and Wild Smurf. The story of Wild Smurf is an interesting one, and I must tell it first, so you will understand better. It begins long ago, on an especially stormy night of the blue moon…

As every Smurf knows, whenever a blue moon appears, it means something special is about to happen, usually a new Smurf. On this night, however, it was particularly special, for the stork that brought the baby Smurfs was bringing two Smurfs- twins.

The stork flew through the rain and wind, buffeted this way and that by the storm. She was clutching two tiny bundles in her claws, and squinting down at the ground far below, trying to find Smurf Village so she could land. Papa Smurf would be waiting to receive the babies, and he'd let her stay there for the night as well, to wait out the storm.

Suddenly, a gust of wind shoved the stork from the side, sending her tumbling down towards the forest. Flapping her wings wildly, the panicked bird swerved to avoid the trees, but failed to notice that one bundle had become snagged on a branch, and flew on with only one.

When the bedraggled stork finally landed in Smurf Village, she discovered the missing baby, and immediately tried to take flight again, but Papa Smurf stopped her. "No, Feathers," he said gently. "It's too dangerous to venture out again in this weather. We'll have to wait until the storm passes."

Dawn came and went, and it was nearly lunchtime before the storm lessened enough for Papa and Feathers to leave. He took Tracker and Hunter Smurfling along, and left the baby in the care of Gutsy Smurfling, who was the oldest one there aside from Papa.

"Keep everyone safe, Gutsy," the wise Smurf told his son.

"Aye, Papa," Gutsy said determinedly. He was the bravest of all the Smurflings, and he knew that he wouldn't let his Papa down.

However, the long search, which took the group of Smurfs three days, proved to be fruitless. When Papa and the Smurflings returned, it was with heavy hearts. Papa Smurf hated to see his little Smurfs unhappy, but he had to tell them the news. That night, everyone was too sad to celebrate the baby Smurf, but the baby- who Gutsy had nicknamed Natural, for his love of the forest- was the saddest.

"I'll race you to the forest's edge, Gutsy!!" Natural, a Smurfling now, dashed along the path towards the forest.

"Oh, no ye don't, laddie!" The older Smurfling laughed, running along after him. "I'll catch ye yet!" Gutsy and Natural had become good friends in the many years since Natural's arrival, and Gutsy hadn't beaten the younger Smurf yet- although most of this was from Gutsy letting Natural win.

"Oh no," Gutsy "panted," slowing down. "I fear I'm getting tired again!"

Natural giggled, turning and running backwards. "I win again, huh?"

Gutsy stopped, grinning. "Aye, Nattie." He was the only one who ever gave Natural a nickname. "That makes… how many times?"

"I don't know, I've lost count!" Natural stopped running, and instead walked back to Gutsy. "You know," he said, "I wish you wouldn't call me Nattie. It makes me feel like a Smurfling."

"Ye are a Smurflin', Nattie!" Gutsy chuckled.

"Well, a younger Smurfling, then," retorted Natural. "I'm the youngest here, but I don't like being teased about it!"

Gutsy crouched down to Natural's level. "Well, I didn't know ye felt that way," he said seriously. "What would ye rather I say?"

Natural thought. He'd never had a reason to pick a nickname for himself before. "...I know," he said. "Nat! It sounds older."

Gutsy put an arm around Natural. "Nat, huh? I like it. Nat Smurfling."

"Nat Smurf," Nat said. "I'm older now! I don't wanna be a Smurfling anymore!"

Gutsy straightened up, scratching at the stubble that would soon become his sideburns. "Well, nothing I can do fer ya there, Nat. Maybe Papa knows somethin'." He bent down, scooping Nat up onto his shoulders. "Come on, lad."

A few hundred years passed, and both Gutsy and Nat were nearly full-grown Smurfs. By this time, Nat had gotten the story of his lost brother out of Papa- with Gutsy's help, Of course- and was going on almost daily outings to search. Nat thought he and Gutsy were doing this under Papa Smurf's radar, but the truth was that Papa had asked Gutsy to go along to keep Nat out of trouble.

The two Smurfs ventured out further and further each day, but never found hide nor hair of any other Smurf. Nat wouldn't give up, but Gutsy was beginning to think that the lost Smurfling was just that- lost.

Eventually, Gutsy decided that he couldn't let Nat have false hope anymore. As they were returning from their journey, he stopped Nat. "Look, laddie… maybe it's time to face facts," he said.

Nat turned around, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that sometimes-" Gutsy began. Smurf, this was hard. He hated to hurt Nat in any way, but it had to be done. "Sometimes ye spend years looking for something and it doesn't exist, y'know?"

Nat narrowed his eyes. "If this is about my brother, he does exist. I'd know if he was gone, I know I would!"

Gutsy sighed. "Look, Nattie-"

"It's Nat!"

"-we've spent years looking for him, and I don' think we're gonna find him."

Nat glared. "Gutsy, stop it-"

"Nat, sometimes ye just need to grow up!!"

Nat blinked. Gutsy had never told him to grow up. That was what the other Smurfs did. "Grow up, Natural." "You're so immature, Nat." "You're never going to find him, Natural." It didn't bother him too much. When Gutsy said it, though… it hurt. A lot.

Gutsy must have noticed the expression on Nat's face, because he instantly looked guilty. "Ah, look, Nat- I didn't mean-"

"Yes you did." Nat sat down. "You meant every word of it." He hung his head.

Gutsy sighed again, sitting down next to him. He closed his eyes in shame. "Nat, I'm sorry. You're right, I did mean it. I don't think we'll ever find that poor Smurf, and I'm sorry I kept your hopes up for so long. Can ye forgive me, laddie?"

Silence.

"Laddie?" Gutsy looked up. Nat was gone. The older Smurf chuckled, sure Nat was playing a game. He got to his feet. "Alright, laddie, you gotta come out now."

Silence. Gutsy's grin slipped a little. "...Nat?"

Still silence, and Gutsy's smile vanished altogether. "Nat! Where are ye, lad?!" When there was no answer yet again, Gutsy began to worry. "Nat Smurf!" He called out, using his cupped hands as a megaphone. "Natural-"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!"

Gutsy went pale. "Nattie!!!" He whirled around, sprinting in the direction of his little friend's scream of terror. "I'm coming!!" Oh, how he hoped it was only terror.

Nat had snuck away while Gutsy was talking. Gutsy had hurt his feelings. "Fine then," he muttered, resuming the search. "If you won't help me look for my brother, I'll do it on my own."

However, Nat was so distracted that he didn't notice that his path was taking him dangerously close to the home of the evil wizard Gargamel. The wizard's cat Azrael noticed, as she'd been hunting nearby, and began to sneak up on the unsuspecting Smurf. Nat only noticed her when her shadow fell across him, and by that time it was too late to do anything but yell.

The wizard came running out of the house, brandishing a beaker. "You stupid cat!! One of these days, if you don't be quiet and let me work, I'm going to-" he stopped, a smile of evil delight spreading across his ugly face as he noticed Nat, pinned underneath Azrael's paws.

Seeing the wizard, Nat realized his mistake. He struggled to get out from under the cat's paws, but failed. "Let me go!!" He flinched as Gargamel leaned close.

"No chance of that, my little blue friend," the wizard said with a snigger, taking the Smurf from Azrael. He went inside, stuffing Nat roughly into a cage on the table. "Now… what should I do with you?" He turned away, consulting his spellbook. "I could turn you into a little stone statue… I could dissolve you in snake venom… I could turn you into glass and shatter you… oh, what to do, what to do…"

Nat, rubbing his head, got to his feet and tugged on the bars. It was no use- they were solid. He noticed Azrael looking hungrily up at him, and swallowed. "Nice kitty..?" The she-cat snarled, leaping up. She began to bat at the cage, nudging it closer and closer to the edge.

"Azrael!!" Gargamel snapped. He picked her up, tossing her outside. "You can eat the next Smurf, but not this one!!" He took the cage, peering in. Nat edged backwards, away from the wizard, but Gargamel just laughed and shook the cage. After he'd had his fun, he placed Nat's prison on top of a nearby shelf. "Now you can't be rescued!!"

Nat, head aching, scooted back against the far wall of the cage. He was scared, and trying not to show it. "I really wish Gutsy was here right now," he whispered to himself. "He'd know what to do."

Gutsy was furious with himself. If he hadn't spoken so sharply to Nat, then the other Smurf would still be there! He dashed through the forest, dodging a family of squirrels, even going so far as to remove his pants to move faster. This left him barefoot, clad only in his green kilt and hat. "Nat!!" He called again. He hadn't heard anything since the initial yell, and, truth be told, that scared him.

Suddenly, the Scotsman Smurf skidded to a halt, gazing up with horror. He'd arrived at the home of Gargamel. "Surely not," he whispered. "He'd have gone straight home!!" Even as he said this, he knew it wasn't true. Nat wouldn't give up that easily. He would have- and seemingly did- keep searching for the lost Smurfling. Apparently, that had led him too close to Gargamel's.

"Come here, you little blue thing!!" Gargamel reached into the cage for Nat, who pressed himself as far back as possible to avoid the grasping hand. It didn't work for long, as Gargamel caught Nat's foot. The Smurf grabbed the bars, attempting to prevent himself being pulled out, but to no avail- he soon found himself within the evil wizard's grasp.

"Let go of me!!" Nat cried, twisting back and forth in a useless effort to escape. He gazed in horror at a bubbling cauldron, which he was being carried towards. "Help! Gutsy, help!!" He prayed that his friend was near. He had to have heard his yell- it was his only chance.

"Oi! Garbage Smell!!"

Gargamel froze, turning to face the source of the angry voice. There in an open window, framed by the light of the setting sun, stood Gutsy, fists on his hips. He glared at the wizard. "Let him go! Now!!"

Quickly recovering from his surprise, the wizard squeezed Nat, who gritted his teeth against the sudden pressure. "Oh? Hmm, and what will you do if I say no?"

In answer, Gutsy jumped down onto the table and seized a fork, spinning it before pointing the tines at Gargamel threateningly. "That answer your question, ye half-baked Smurfberry?!"

The wizard just laughed, squeezing Nat harder. This time, the Smurf couldn't keep a gasp of pain from escaping his lips. "You wouldn't dare, Smurf," Gargamel continued. "Not when I have him!" He shook his fist a little, and Nat yelped.

"Leave him alone," Gutsy snarled. He was putting on a brave face, but was terrified for Nat. "He's no' a threat- so put him down!!"

"Hahahahahahaha!!!" Gargamel cackled with glee. "Oh, this is priceless! I see now- you'll do anything I say as long as I hold your little pathetic friend!" A wicked smile appeared on his face, and he pointed to the cage. "Get in."

Not far away, the family of squirrels that Gutsy had startled returned to their home in the trees. Chattering urgently, they scurried up the branches until they reached a larger hollow than theirs. (Blue!) They called in the squirrel language. (Blue! There's more!!)

A head poked out- a blue head, with large ears and a large nose, sporting a hat made of leaves. (Willow and Oak, there's more Blues?) The speaker came the rest of the way out, crouching on the branch. It was a Smurf, wearing a leaf hat, and a kilt-like object woven from twigs and ferns. He tilted his head. (I thought they left for today!) He and the squirrels had noticed the pair of odd creatures coming through this part of the woods for a while now. They looked like Blue, so they were nicknamed the Blues.

Blue had been found by the ancestors of these squirrels, hundreds of years ago. He'd been dangling in a white leaf from the top of a tree after a storm, and the squirrels had decided to raise him, seeing that he'd die without a family.

A big fluffy squirrel shook his head. (The small one came back, heading near the bad human place.) The "bad human place" was Gargamel's cottage, but the squirrels didn't know that. (The bigger one came through really fast, and scared us.)

Blue climbed down the tree, scowling. (If he's going to the bad human place, he might get eaten by the she-cat. I don't want that- they might know who I am.) He turned and gazed up at his adoptive family once he had descended. (I have to help them.)

Back at Gargamel's cottage, Gutsy was threatening Gargamel from inside the cage. "If ye hurt one hair on his head, wizard, there'll be no place ye can hide from me, d' ye hear?!! I'll rip yer ears off an' feed 'em to yer cat!!"

Gargamel mocked Gutsy, making a "blah blah blah" face. "Oh, I can hear you perfectly well, imp," he said as he plopped Nat down inside a glass vase. "Now, you are going to wait until dawn, and then my potion will be ready- then I will begin my revenge!" With that, he exited the room, presumably to get more ingredients.

As soon as he was gone, Gutsy began yanking at the bars. "Nat!! Nat, say you're alright!!"

Nat, holding his side gingerly, nodded. "I'm going to try to knock this over," he called. "When it breaks, I'm going to find the key, and then-"

"No!" Gutsy shook his head. "It's too dangerous, Nattie. I don't want ye hurt anymore than ye already are. I'm gonna break the cage, okay? Then I'll come for ye and we can-" Gutsy broke off with a growl. "No, laddie, stay there!! It's not safe- don' ye DARE- Nat!!"

With a crash, the vase fell from the table and shattered on the floor, helped along by Nat's frantic rocking. Nat lay among the shards of glass, then sat up. "I'm alright, Gutsy!"

Gutsy breathed a sigh of relief, but then-

"No!!!"

Nat scrambled backwards, then got up and ran, as a furious Gargamel dove for him, arms outstretched. "I'll go for help," he cried as he ran for the door. "I can- whoa!!" He dodged to the side as Azrael stuck a paw underneath. Unfortunately, this brought him within reach of Gargamel, and he was soon recaptured.

"I'll teach you to run away!!" The wizard promised, opening the cage. He shoved Nat inside, then pulled Gutsy out. "I'll make you watch while I destroy this one!!"

"No!!" Nat yelled, reaching through the bars for Gutsy. Gargamel held Gutsy tauntingly just out of reach, then raised his arm to throw him into the bubbling pot- but Gutsy had other ideas.

Chomp!

"Owwww!!!" Gargamel screeched, waving his bitten hand around. Angrily, he threw Gutsy at the window. Thankfully, his aim was off, and the Smurf hit the shelf first, but then slid down to the windowsill, stunned.

"Gutsy!!" Nat bit his lip. His friend wasn't moving. "Gutsy? Come on, get up!!" As Gargamel moved towards Gutsy again, Nat became more and more worried. "Gutsy! Run! Gutsy, get up- Gutsy!!"

The evil wizard reached out for the unconscious Smurf, but before he could grab him, another Smurf, clothed in leaves, leapt up onto the windowsill. He looked down at Gutsy, then glanced at Nat, then up at Gargamel. Suddenly, the Smurf bared his teeth and growled, then chattered wildly.

"He talks like a squirrel," Nat realized. Then he realized something else- the Smurf was completely unafraid. "Hey- Get out of there, before you're caught too!!" Nat yelled to the strange Smurf, who ignored him.

Gargamel scoffed. "You think you can scare me? I'm a powerful wizard! I'll catch you- I'll catch all of you Smurfs!!"

Strangely enough, the wild Smurf didn't seem to understand. He just chattered again, and this time, Nat listened hard, translating: (Bad human! You hurt these Blues! Leave these Blues alone right now! My dray will fight you!)

Nat knew that a dray was the term for a group of squirrels. "He thinks he's a squirrel," Nat realized. Well, odd as that was, it wasn't too helpful- unless-

Nat wasted no time speaking back, using his knowledge of squirrel-speak. (Hey down there! I need help- my friend is hurt! Please open- open-) he stopped, not knowing the word for "cage." Luckily, the wild Smurf seemed to understand, and nodded once.

Gargamel scratched his head. "Well, a squirrelly Smurf is better than no Smurf at all!" He grabbed for the wild Smurf, but the Smurf lunged forward and scurried up the wizard's arm.

"Hey- stop that- GET OFF!!" Gargamel shook his arm, but failed to dislodge the Smurf. The result of this was that the wild Smurf was able to dive onto his nose and bite down hard, causing him to screech again and stumble backwards. He tripped over Azrael, who had unfortunately just re-entered, and hit the ground so hard that he knocked both of them out.

"Hooray!!" Nat cheered, "hooray for the wild Smurf!!" The Smurf in question bounded over to the cage, biting and kicking at the bars. "Hok hok," he muttered to himself. Looking back up at Nat, he said, (how can I get you out?)

(There is a- a- well, a stick,) Nat improvised. (It goes in the hole there.) He pointed to the keyhole.

"Oooooohhh…" Gutsy moaned just then, sitting up. "Agh… smurf if that wizard didn't get me good, laddie." He got to his feet, blinking in surprise at the sight of the wild Smurf, who was searching the hut for something that would fit in the keyhole. "Nattie, who's he?"

"I don't know," Nat responded, "but he just saved us both. He's-" he stopped talking as the wild Smurf approached with the key. "Great job!! Oh, wait-" he remembered. (Great job! Thank you!)

(You're welcome,) the Smurf replied. (Who are you?)

(I'm Natural- uh, Natural Smurf," Nat said. There seemed to be no word for Smurf; none that he knew, anyway. (That's Gutsy. Who are you?)

(My dray calls me Blue, because I'm blue,) the wild Smurf explained, poking at the hole with the key, (I don't think it's a real name though. I don't think I'm a real squirrel, either.)

Nat thought that the lack of the word "Smurf" was probably why the squirrels had named the Smurf Blue.

"You're no' a squirrel," Gutsy told the Smurf. "You're a Smurf, like us." He examined the wild Smurf. "A wee bit wild, though- ah, there ye go, Wild!"

The Smurf just looked at him blankly, not understanding a bit of what Gutsy had said. Thankfully, Nat translated: (He says you're like us, and I think he wants to call you Wild instead of Blue.)

(Wild…) the Smurf thought about it, then hesitantly said, "Wild… Smorf?"

"Smurf, laddie," Gutsy corrected him, and noticed that the other Smurf was having trouble with the lock. "Ah, move aside an' I'll get the door open." He took the key from the newly christened Wild Smurf and unlocked the cage door. Tossing the key aside, he helped Nat out, and expression of concern on his face. "Are ye alright, Nattie?"

Nat nodded. "I'm fine," he lied. He didn't want to worry Gutsy- or Wild, who seemed concerned about him as well. "Let's get out of here, before Azrael or Gargamel wake up."

Gutsy nodded, leaping down, closely followed by Wild. Nat chose to climb down by way of the table leg, wincing as he went. He then joined Gutsy and Wild at the door.

"Hok hok!!" Wild said, sniffing the air. He growled nervously. He grabbed Nat's arm, preventing him from leaving. Seeing this, Gutsy stopped and tugged Nat away from Wild. "Look, Wild, this is no' any time to be playin' games! We've got to go!"

Wild shook his head, chattering to Nat. (No! It isn't safe!! There's a big bird, I can smell him!)

After hearing Nat's translation, Gutsy scowled. "That Smurfing bird…"

"Monty," Nat sighed. "I almost forgot about him." He looked back at the wizard and his cat. "-but inside, there's Gargamel and Azrael."

"We'll have to' make a run for it," Gutsy decided. "Come on, Wild, just to the forest."

Wild looked at Nat, who translated, and Wild nodded. "Hok hok!" He bounded out, never looking around, and soon made it to the safety of the woods. There, he looked back at Gutsy and Nat. "Hok!!"

Gutsy looked around, seeing nothing, then sprinted for the forest, Nat close behind. However, when the Scotsman Smurf reached the tree line, he looked back and saw Nat, still far behind him, clutching his side and panting.

Gutsy waved his arms frantically. "Nat!!" He hissed. "Come on, laddie!! What are ye-"

"Hok!!!"

Gutsy turned back to Wild, but the Smurf was gone- hiding among the bushes. That could only mean- "oh no," he gasped. He whirled around, abandoning any attempt to be quiet. "Nat! Run!!" He yelled urgently. "Monty's coming!!!"

Nat fought back the pain from his side, and sped up, clenching his teeth. He couldn't make Gutsy worry; he'd done that enough already. "Coming as fast as I can," he ground out. He was almost there, but then a wide shadow fell across him, and a triumphant shriek filled the air.

"Monty!!" Gutsy was frozen in fear for a moment, watching the large vulture swoop down, and then gasped, snapping out of it. "Oi- over here, ye overgrown horsefly!!" He charged towards the bird, scooping up a large pebble and throwing it.

Small as the rock was, Gutsy's aim was true, and it hit the vulture in the eye, causing him to swerve just enough so that his outstretched talons just missed Nat, who sat down hard as the bird passed.

Monty wheeled around, talons outstretched for another try. Gutsy shoved Nat to the ground to avoid the vulture, earning a cry of pain, then helped him to his feet and grabbed his arm, pulling him along as he ran for safety.

"Wild!!" The Scotsman Smurf yelled. "A wee bit o' help would be nice!!" There was no reply, then as Monty dove for them yet again, a flurry of acorns fell- no, was hurled- from the trees, pelting the bird until, with a squawk, he tumbled to the ground, then got up and awkwardly fled.

A heartbeat later, Gutsy skidded to a stop, brushing Nat off. "What were ye thinkin'?!" He scolded his friend. "Ye could've been seriously hurt!! I-" he stopped speaking as Nat sank to the ground, kneeling and clutching his side. Gutsy's worried anger vanished, leaving just the worry behind. As Wild dropped down from the branches, he knelt beside Nat. "You're no' alright, are ye, laddie?"

Finally admitting to his pain, Nat shook his head. "I think- I think Gargamel did something to my ribs when he squeezed me," he gasped.

Wild sniffed at Nat's side, touching it gingerly, then poked it hard. Nat yelled, and Gutsy slapped Wild's hand away. "Are ye daft?! What were ye-"

Wild put a hand across Gutsy's mouth, shushing him. He then patted his side, then picked up a twig and snapped it across his knee. He glared at Gutsy, pointing one half of the stick at Nat.

Gutsy understood. He turned back to Nat, exasperated. "Why didn't ye tell me ye broke a rib?!" He helped Nat to his feet, sighing. "Come on, laddie. Let's get you back to the village, an' have Nurse take a look at ye."

Wild chattered something, and Gutsy shook his head. "Sorry, lad, I don' speak squirrel. What's he sayin', Nat?"

"He says…" managed Nat, grimacing. "He's offering to carry me." To Wild, he said, ;I can walk-) then he straightened up, and went pale. (Agh- okay, maybe you have a point.)

"Nat and Gutsy have been gone all day," announced Papa Smurf. "Usually they return in time for Greedy's dinners-"

"I had to eat their portions," the village chef called out. Jokey sniggered. "You mean you got to!" Unashamed, Greedy nodded, patting his chubby stomach with a grin. "Yup!"

"You shouldn't interrupt Papa Smurf when he's speaking," a bespectacled Smurf spoke up. "As Papa Smurf always says-"

"Thank you, Brainy," the red-costumed Smurf said hurriedly. "As I was saying, they have been gone far longer than normal, and I will need some volunteers to help me search for them."

"I'll go!"

"And me!"

"Me too, Papa!!"

Despite the constant teasing, Nat Smurf was well-liked, and there wasn't a Smurf in the village that hadn't found a friend in Gutsy at one time or another.

"Alright then," Papa decided, "Hefty, Tracker, and Nurse, come with me. The rest of you, stay here, in case Gutsy and Natural return- and be good!" He turned to go, the three Smurfs following him, but before he could take more than a single step, an ear-piercing whoop echoed through the village.

Crazy Smurf came racing back from where he'd been patrolling the edge of the forest. Yelling incoherently, he pointed back the way he'd come. Every Smurf looked to see what the matter was.

"Gutsy, Natural!!" Papa Smurf went to greet them, then stopped. His little Smurfs hadn't been entirely safe, he saw, as both Gutsy and Nat were sporting bruises, and Nat was being carried by a strange, wild-looking Smurf. "My smurfness, what happened?!"

Gutsy explained the situation to Papa, with Wild Smurf gazing around in wonder. He'd never seen so many Blues in one place before! They were all staring at him. It was making him uncomfortable, so he shifted his weight and growled softly.

The sudden movement caused Nat's side to flare painfully, and he let out a small gasp. Wild's ears twitched, and he looked down at Nat worriedly. (Are you okay?) He asked.

Nat nodded. (Yeah- I just need-) he broke off with a whimper as his side flared again.

"Alright, that's enough!!" Gutsy shoved aside the closest Smurfs, scanning the crowd. "Nurse! Here, now!!"

Nobody wanted to argue with the Smurf, who was honestly quite intimidating even in a regular situation, so Nurse Smurf moved forward, carrying his bag. "Alright, alright," he called. "Give the Smurf some space!!" He snapped his fingers at Wild, then pointed at the ground. "Set him down, whoever you are. Gently!"

Wild hugged Nat protectively to his chest, but hurriedly set him down when Nat hissed in a breath. He crouched next to the other Smurf, growling warily.

"Don't get yer knickers in a bunch- or whatever ye wear," Gutsy told Wild, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Nurse isn't gonna hurt Nattie, okay? He's gonna help him." Gutsy pulled Wild into a standing position, looking him up and down. "Speakin' of knickers, we've got to getcha somethin' better to wear. Oi, Tailor!" He turned and called out to a Smurf in the crowd.

Tailor came forward, eyeing Wild's bush kilt with distaste. "No need to tell me what's to be done," he said. Seizing Wild by the elbow, he steered him away from the Smurfs and into his hut. "Alright, let's see here- stand up straight." He gave Wild a once-over, then pulled out his measuring tape and got to work.

Wild scowled, arms crossed. He looked almost as grouchy as Grouchy. "Don't want new pants," he told Tailor. Brainy and Nat had been teaching him to speak and be a village Smurf, including having Tailor make Wild a white hat and a pair of white pants, but within an hour, the outfit would inevitably be ruined, and Wild would be brought back to Tailor's hut.

"Wild," Tailor sighed, exasperated, "you can't go around Smurf naked. You have to wear pants!" The Smurf turned to Gutsy, who was leaning in the doorway. "Gutsy, tell him he has to-"

Before Tailor could finish, Gutsy grinned and pointed at his own bare legs. Ever since he and Nat had met Wild, he'd discarded pants as well, preferring his kilt and hat as his only garments.

Tailor sighed. "Right. You two are unbelievable, you know that?"

Wild pulled off the white hat, and began to tug at the pants. "Off now?"

Tailor buried his face in his hands. "Yes. Fine. Off now."

Gutsy came over and leaned close. "Y'know, he can still wear somethin' of yours." He handed Tailor a plain cotton cloth. "Just somethin' to cover him." Tailor looked up. "Well, if I must- Wild, come here!"

Wild, who had been on the floor, biting at the pants, stopped and sat up. "Here?" He took the cloth, looking up at Tailor and Gutsy with a confused expression.

"Try tying it around your waist," Tailor told him. He pointed to a folding screen. "Go behind there and change."

Wild didn't need to be told twice. He bounded behind the screen, and almost instantly, Gutsy and Tailor heard a ripping noise. Tailor groaned. "There goes another perfectly smurfy pair of pants."

Suddenly, Nat poked his head in the door. "Wild, are you in here?" He waved at Tailor and Gutsy.

Gutsy frowned. "Nat, get back to your house, you're supposed to be resting!!"

Nat pouted. "But Papa wants to see Wild, and I volunteered to fetch him!"

Wild stepped out from behind the screen- he'd managed to successfully tie the cloth around his waist, making a loincloth. "What Papa want?"

"I don't know," Nat replied. "He just wants to see us right away."

"Yes," Wild said, nodding. "I come." He walked over to Nat and held out his arms. "I hold you?"

Nat shook his head. "No thanks, Wild. I'm fine with walking." He turned to Gutsy. "Wanna come?"

The older Smurf shrugged, and joined the two outside. "Might' as well, laddie."

As the trio walked away, Tailor stared at the mess that Wild had made, picking up the shredded pants. "Some Smurfs just don't appreciate quality sewing," he muttered, and began to clean up.

Inside Papa Smurf's house, Gutsy, Wild, and Nat waited for the bearded Smurf to speak. Wild was nervous- from his years living in the forest, he instinctively knew which animals to assert his authority over, and which animals to automatically submit to. He felt that Papa was one of the latter, and every instinct was screaming at him to make himself as low as possible, so Papa knew how much respect was given. He began to crouch, looking away from the Smurf, but Gutsy pulled him up, shaking his head.

"Now, Wild," Papa Smurf said, "I think the time has come for some answers. Nat tells me that you live with squirrels, is that correct?"

Wild nodded, tense. What was the Smurf doing? Why was he asking that question? "Yes," he answered.

"I see," Papa mused. "How many years, do you know?"

Wild shook his head silently, then replied, "many. Many times squirrels not wake up."

This made sense; the long lives that Smurfs had far surpassed those of ordinary creatures like squirrels. If Papa's theory was true, then Wild had lived through several generations of squirrels- around the same number of years as Nat had.

"Alright," Papa continued, "how did you come to live with the squirrels?"

"That hard to tell," Wild admitted. He turned to Nat. "Say what I say?"

Realizing that Wild wanted him to translate, Nat smiled. "Sure thing!"

(The first squirrels in my dray told me that it was storming that night,) Wild began, with Nat translating. (I was found on top of a tree after the storm, wrapped in a sort of white leaf. The squirrels said that I would have fallen if they hadn't brought me down.)

Papa Smurf stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Hmmm… one last thing, Wild. Do you recall what color the moon was that night, before the storm?"

Wild thought that was a strange question, but he did his best to remember. The squirrels hadn't said anything about the moon. (I think it was blue,) he said uncertainly.

"...it was blue," finished Nat. He blinked. "The blue moon! Papa, you don't think that Wild is- that he's- he can't be!!"

Gutsy covered his mouth, a slow grin creeping across his face. "Ye don' mean-"

Papa nodded, and wiped his eyes. "Yes, I do," he said happily. "Wild is that very same Smurfling we lost to the storm all those years ago."

"But I here," Wild said, confused. "Why say lost?"

Nat shook his head. "Papa, I don't understand."

The Smurf in the red hat pulled Wild and Nat into a hug, then stepped back and chuckled. "Nat, Wild's your brother."


End file.
